Reverse Gears
by aissaa
Summary: She was Mitsui's slave when they were seven. Then she moved away. She's back, though, and she's going to make him pay....sorry for the long100x delay!!!! finally, here it is...CHAPTER 3 & 4!!! R
1. Reunion with an old friend, err, fiend

Disclaimer: I don't own SD, just borrowing their characters. Oh, and in case you're wondering, they belong to Takehiko Inoue ( lucky guy...sniff...what a tensai...)  
  
**~Reverse Gears~**  
A Mitsui fanfic ^^;  
  
  
**Hayane**   
  
I never liked Mitsui Hisashi in the first place.  
( Hey, I'm not lying! I'm telling the truth! Stop laughing at me!)  
No, really. I didn't. Never liked him, despised him, thought of him as scum. A moron. A weirdo. Something that has to be swept off the floor. A permanent resident of the trash bin.  
He was always mean to me in the first place. Yeah, so he's one...two years older than me. So? That doesn't make him king of the world.  
He always bullied me. Our mothers were best friends ( and still are, but that's not the point.) and when we were kids, they had the bright idea to pair the both of us up. You know, when mothers go, 'Ooh, don't you think our children would look good together?' That sorta thing. I was five. He was seven. We met for the very first time.  
And I went home crying, with an ice cream cone stuck down my shirt. I told my older brother ( who was nine at that time) about what happened.  
He laughed at me. And so did my other siblings.  
Being the youngest in the family is not easy, especially when you're the butt of all jokes. My whole family thought what 'Hisashi' did was cute.  
Yeah, sure, cute for them, since they weren't the one with sticky, cold ice cream stuck down their back. If it had happened to them, I'm sure they would have reconsidered their opinion.  
It started there. Then the torture continued. Hisashi decided to make me his personal slave. Lucky for him, since I was sent over to his house for five hours in a week. Unlucky for me, since I was younger and wimpier than him.  
The list goes on. I was made to call him Hisashi-sama. I had to kiss his feet. I had to polish his school shoes. Whenever he wanted to play basketball, he always made me the basket. If he didn't like his food, I had to eat it. Agony, pain, humiliation. Hmph. It annoys me a lot, just thinking about him.  
This went on until I was seven. My father's job had forced him to move all of us to a far away place. Hong Kong.  
Thank God! My heart jumped for joy when I heard this. No more Hisashi Mitsui, no more pain, no more torture! No more walls, no more chains...  
I wasn't the least bit sad to leave Japan. Well, maybe I was, but it sure wasn't because of that prick, Hisashi. Like he'd care if I left the country. Oh no, no more slave to boss around. No more Hayane.  
My mother brought me with her as we went over to the Mitsui's to tell them the bad/good news. Hisashi looked annoyed when he heard that we were leaving the country...and him. Ha. Watching his slightly disappointed face, I felt triumphant. Very triumphant. Got you there, Hisashi.  
Before we left Japan, I swore to myself that when I came back, I would have my revenge on him. Yes, revenge. For doing this to me. I would make him regret that he had ever known me, Hayane Kazushino. I would make him regret the day he ever saw my face. In several years' time...In several years' time...  
Then it came. Finally. After just about the longest amount of time. When I turned sixteen, my dad came home with an important announcement to make. Well, that's what he said. I didn't really pay attention to him, until I heard a very important word: Japan.  
Huh? That was when I tuned in. Turns out that my dad was being moved...to the Japan branch of his company. Again.  
Yes! The chance I had been waiting for. All these years, I had not forgotten Hisashi...after nine, long years...finally, it had come.  
I was fully prepared for what I had to do. When we lived in Hong Kong, I busied myself a lot. I learnt to speak Cantonese ( Well, I had to, this was Hong Kong, what would you expect), drowned myself in extracurricular activities at my school. I took up martial arts. I strove to be stronger...and what do you expect, I did.  
I became well known in the athletics department at school. I grew to love track and field...and guess what, basketball. I was still traumatized, though...recalling the days Hisashi would use me as a basket.  
I pushed those thoughts aside and strove to be the best, though.  
All the work paid off. In my junior high, we won the national interschool competitions. I won the MVP award...something I will always cherish.  
But now, I was moving to Japan. My school records were withdrawn and shipped off to some school who-knows-where in Japan, and I was made to pack up my things. We left Hong Kong in two weeks.  
We had sold our old house; we had to buy a new house, which was supposedly closer to my new school ( which no one had bothered to tell me about). All my siblings were in college already; it was only me who was living with my parents. I had a nice and quiet house all to myself at times.  
I tried to acquaint myself with Japan once more. I went around the city, trying to recall various stuff ( Oh yeah, that's where you can buy really nice shoes!) I was also on the constant lookout for sports stores ( My basketball shoes were starting to get worn out.) One day, as I came home from one of my daily expeditions, I found someone very unexpected sitting on our couch with my mother. No, it wasn't Hisashi...it was his mother. Surprisingly.  
The moment she saw me, she seemed...frozen. Shell-shocked. Then she recovered.  
" Haya-chan! Is that you?!"  
I could only nod dumbly. " Hai."  
In a second, she had stood up and hugged me really tight. " You're such a big girl now!" Big girl? Please. I looked down at myself. Was I getting...ahem...wider?  
" And you're so beautiful now too!" She drew back to look at me, a twinkle in her eye. " How old are you now?"  
I blinked. " Sixteen." Or at least that's what I thought I said.  
My mother butted in at this point. " Hisashi is now eighteen, Hayane."  
Hisashi. I gritted my teeth. Hard. " Um, that's nice, mom..." Like I didn't know. " What are you getting at?"  
My mom and Mitsui-san exchanged a look. A very obvious look. " Nothing..." my mother said.  
I sighed. They were up to their old tricks again. I refrained from rolling my eyes. " I'll go to my room now, okay?" I turned and proceeded up the stairs.  
" Be sure to sleep early! You have school tomorrow!" was all my mom told me.  
School? I didn't even know where I was going to study, then she tells me I'm going to school. Life sucks.  
I woke up early the next day, to find my new school uniform lying next to my bed. I got up and observed it. It was the typical uniform...pleated skirt, white blouse, with a navy blue school blazer. I sighed, and put it on. I was already in the second year...have to watch myself...suddenly, I had a thought. What year would Hisashi be by now?  
A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. My mother came in, smiling. " Your new school is just three blocks away. I think you'll know it when you see it...that's the only school around here."  
I shrugged. " You know, no one ever told me the name of my school."  
Which wasn't an exaggeration...no one had bothered to tell me, really.  
My mother looked surprised. " Sorry dear. It's name is Shohoku High."  
Shohoku? What a name. I kept my thoughts to myself, though. Maybe all that Chinese in Hong Kong had gone to my brain...  
" You'll be going to the same school as Hisashi." My mother was now smiling proudly. " It was Tsuki's ( his mom) idea, actually. That way you won't feel too lost."  
I groaned inwardly. Same school as Hisashi? I'd rather be lost than be with that asshole again. Hisashi showing me around...the idea gave me the creeps. But still...it was convenient, since I had an idea of revenge in mind...  
" No thanks." I said casually. " I don't think I'll really need Hisashi for this." I did my best to hold back a frown for this. My mother didn't know, never knew I had a complex against Hisashi...and I had no intention of letting her know. She would get really upset, and I knew that...she had always had such a good view of her best friend's son.  
My mother just smiled. " Oh really?"  
She sat on my bed and examined the wrinkles on the sheet. Well, that's what she seemed to be doing. " Hisashi's a very handsome young man now."  
Right. In my dreams. I suppressed a snicker. " That's nice, mom." Handsome now...ugly later when I pound him to bits. I frowned. How exactly did I plan out my revenge anyway?  
My mother tried again. " I saw him the other day, when I went over to their home. He's very tall, and he is apparently playing for the basketball team there in Shohoku." She slid a glance at me.  
" He's very good."  
I raised my eyebrows. " He is?" I knew he had a thing for basketball when we were kids, but I didn't know he had brought it all the way to high school. " What year is he anyway?"  
" Three." My mom refused to look at me. " Just a year older than you."  
Oh, no. Not again. " Don't think of anything, mom," I warned. " No pairings." Last thing I needed were two meddling moms trying to get their battling children together. Damn. Exactly what I needed.  
" I'm not!" My mom sounded defensive. " I'm not doing anything..."  
Yet. I suppressed a grin this time. " Whatever, mom." I knew what was going on in her mind.  
I went over to her and kissed her on the cheek. " Gotta go...don't wanna be late for school."  
I ran hurriedly down the stairs. I had to take the examinations today...the second semester had just started, so I was entering in the middle of their school year. I really hoped I wouldn't be too behind on them...I had heard from my friends that Japan had a very difficult education.  
I didn't have any trouble finding my new school. As soon as I stepped on the third block from my home, I could see its immense structure in my sight. I stopped and looked up, filled with awe. So this is Shohoku...or maybe I just wasn't used to these kinds of schools. In Hong Kong, our schools had been smaller than these. A lot smaller...this school looked like it had what, a million sections?  
I took a deep breath and stepped inside. And I immediately got lost. Maybe I could have used the help from Hisashi after all, I thought.  
It was gone a millisecond later. Or not. If you wanted to suffer a fate more horrible than death, then you should have gone ahead and asked for his help...as if I even knew where he was, much more where I was. This school was big.  
I sighed, and glanced up at the ceiling for help. I was supposed to go to the principal's office to take the examination.  
The question was, where was the principal's office?  
_Damn..._  
I sighed once more, and looked down ( well, not really down, but straight, I guess) once more.  
To be greeted by what was possibly the most...interesting sight I had seen so far in Japan.  
He stood tall, way taller than my 165 centimeters. ( And I thought I was tall!) He had a shock of black hair with a tinge of green covering his eyes...his eyes...my eyes widened. They were possibly the most interesting features on him. They were such an intense shade of blue...He had pale, flawless skin, and was walking around with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. Ah, a perfect specimen of the typical slacker. He was a cute one, though.  
I put on the friendliest smile I could muster and approached him. " Um, excuse me?" If I was lucky, I would get to know his name...wait a minute, why was I thinking thoughts like these? Knock knock, Hayane. Wake up.  
He glanced my way. For about .05 seconds. He looked away again lazily. " Aa." He seemed to be in no hurry.  
I shrugged inwardly. " May I know where the principal's office is?" I half thought that he would just fall asleep on me any second. Aside from being the finest specimen I had seen in Japan so far, he also seemed really...drowsy. Out of it. The word _hangover_ came to mind. Big party last night, huh?  
He glanced at me once more, up and down, before he turned away and yawned. " Straight. Left, right." He sauntered away, looking as bored as anything.  
I was left staring on after him. " Thanks," I muttered. " I think." I shifted my bag from my right hand to my left hand. Some help he was.  
Oh well. Take what you can get. Trying to make sense of the slacker's otherwise meaningless directions, I went straight. Then left. Then right. Then I got lost.  
I sighed. " Where am I now?" I was never, ever going to ask that guy for directions again.  
I looked around, trying to see where I was. I was in a hall surrounded by classrooms. Well, no kidding. This was a school, after all.  
" You lost?"  
I smiled in relief, happy to have someone to speak to. I turned around.  
" I'm afraid I am."  
The student who spoke to me just grinned back at me. " You're a new student?" He had blue eyes similar to those of the guy awhile ago, except this guy's eyes were warmer and friendlier. I decided right then and there that he was a nice person.  
I nodded. " Yup." I couldn't help but add more. " I came from Hong Kong. This is the first time I've been back in Japan in over nine years..."  
The student just clucked sympathetically. " No wonder you're lost."  
I really couldn't help but smile at him. " You think?"  
He just smirked. " Yup." He ran a hand through his hair, and glanced down-literally, considering he was almost as tall as the one awhile ago-at me. " Where do you need to go? I can help you out."  
Finally. I made a face. " The principal's office." I considered telling him about the other guy awhile ago and his absolute senseless sense of direction, but I kept my mouth shut this time. Let him talk...you don't want to drown him in a sea of words, right?  
The guy just jerked his head in the direction from where I came from. " It's just over there, by the right. Third door from the left side."  
" Oh." Now I felt like a complete moron. I had just passed it...!  
" Thanks." I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. Stupid, stupid...idiot...now he thinks you're an idiot.  
He flashed me another smile. " I can walk you over there, just in case you get lost again..."  
He grinned, this time teasingly at me. " You never know..."  
Okay. So maybe he didn't think I was an idiot. Quit overreacting, Hayane.  
I smiled almost shyly at him. " Um...sure." Walk me over? Sure. Cool. Okay. Wow. This day was getting better and better. I could have sworn that he was flirting with me.  
He fell into step with me as I traced my steps back...to the door of the principal's office.  
I stopped in front of it...and so did he.  
I opened my mouth to talk, but nothing came out._Say something, moron!_ Then it came to me. Ask for his name! Duh. Stupid. Should've thought of that sooner...!  
But instead, something else came out of my mouth. " Well, I guess this is where I get off."  
The moment I said that, I wanted to pound my head on the wall. And where did that come from, Hayane?! Honestly!! He would think I was a complete airhead. A stereotype, that's what. Nononono...  
He didn't seem to notice my internal battle, however. " Yeah, I guess." I just nodded at him politely, then made to open the door.  
_Go! Ask for his name, now!!_  
I swallowed, then mustered up all my courage. " Wha--"  
My throat was blocked. I cleared it, and tried again. " What is your name?"  
" What's your name?"  
We both stared, dumbfounded at each other, then laughed. We had asked each other the same question, only he was one second late. That seemed to break any tension that had built up between us in the past few seconds.  
Finally, our laughter subsided. I glanced at him sideways. " I asked you first."  
" Ladies first." He glanced at me teasingly once more before looking away. I wasn't sure why, but I began to feel a warm feeling growing from inside me. What it was, I wasn't sure. I had never felt it before...  
I crossed my arms. " I'm not telling you my name unless I know yours." I really wanted to know his name. Somehow, I had the feeling that we were going to turn out to be good friends...  
He sighed in mock-defeat. " Fine, fine." A slow smile began to grow on his lips. " I'm Mitsui Hisashi."  
I smiled._Mitsui Hisashi..._then froze.  
_Mitsui Hisashi?!_  
This..._he_ was Mitsui Hisashi?!  
A mental image of him, the nine-year old boy who used to taunt me, formed in my head. A trim, tall boy, with black hair and blue eyes, his face twisted in a sneer...mocking me, bullying me...  
And now...him. The guy standing in front of me. Tall, lean, dark, spiked hair with a tinge of blue, clear blue eyes...handsome, nice, witty.  
_No...it can't be him!!_  
But somehow...I knew it. It was him. It was Mitsui Hisashi, no doubt.  
The very guy I had planned revenge against. For nine years now.  
And as fate would have it, the very guy who first befriended me in my new school. The one I wished to be friends with.  
I was confused. My inner emotions were in a state of turmoil.  
I didn't know what to do. For the second time in my life, I wasn't sure of myself. ( You can guess what the first time was.)  
And it was all his fault once more. Mitsui Hisashi.  
So I did the only thing I could do.  
Run away.  
I turned around, opened the door, entered, and closed it as quickly as I possibly could behind me.  
  
  
tbc...   
  
AN: So, what did you think? *beams* I revised this thing and made it html, so it isn't as messy as before. Thanks to **Mizuyuki Yuu** and **kei12** for helping me with the tags ^__^ R&R please!! 


	2. Mitsui's POV (then Hayane's again)

Disclaimer: I don't own SD, just borrowing their characters. Oh, and in case you're wondering, they belong to Takehiko Inoue ( lucky guy...sniff...what a tensai...)  
  
**~Reverse Gears~**  
A Mitsui fanfic   
  
  
**Mitsui**   
  
I watched dumbly as the door practically slammed shut in my face.  
_Huh?_ I shrugged, turned around, and walked away instead, resisting the urge to pound on the door and to ask for her name. ' Princess, princess! What name have you??'  
Yeah, sure. If I wanted to get into trouble again, this was the perfect way to do so. Especially if the school principal thought I was calling him princess.  
Was it me or was it just her? Or was it my name? I knew it wasn't my looks...after all, I looked good, and I knew it. I wasn't blind. So it must be something else.  
I mean, she was like no other girl I'd met before...yup, she was different. After all, what girl would slam the door into your face upon hearing your name? Maybe it was too much for her...yes, that was it. I was too much to handle for her. Or so I wished.  
Oh well. I sighed and continued on. What a pity. I actually thought she was kinda nice...and pretty...and cool...and...and...  
Shut up, Hisashi. You're rambling again.  
Rambling in your brain?! Boy, you must be really bored to do so. Cut it out!  
My thoughts wandered back to that girl. She had been wandering around outside our classroom like a stray dog. ( Okay, so maybe that wasn't such a nice word to use.) Fine, stray lamb. She looked so pitiful I just had to go out and help her. Hey, she was cute, after all.  
Turned out she was looking for the principal's office. So she was a new student. I couldn't help but flirt with her-I mean, which ( normal) guy can resist? She had such a cute smile...There, maybe that was it. I was too aggressive! She couldn't take my flirting, and she ran away and...shut up, Hisashi.  
No, that couldn't be it. She seemed to enjoy my flirting ( Everyone does!). Hey, maybe she even liked me.  
That was cool.  
Then why did she run away from me...?  
Ah, to hell with that. None of that mattered now. I entered my classroom and slumped down really low in my seat.  
I had...other methods to find out more stuff about her. I could...casually stroll around, pay a trip to each of the classrooms in the building...hell, she could be anywhere! But hopefully, she's in Year 3 too...it sure would make my search a lot easier...  
Then...I would corner her, ask for her name...and if she ran away again, hey, it's her loss.  
I ran a mental picture of her in my mind. Kinda curly, whatever brown hair, grey eyes...I frowned.  
There was only one other person I knew with grey eyes. ( You have to admit, it's kinda unusual.)  
A little worm of a girl-this kid named Kazushino Hayane.  
But...  
A picture of Hayane ran through my mind this time. My last memory of her was when she was seven, when she and her mom had come over to tell me and my mom that they were moving away to Hong Kong. She was short, with really big grey eyes. I should know...those eyes drove me _nuts_. That was the first thing that had made me bully her in the first place.  
Let's see, what else...curly brown ringlets framed her face..._curly?_ I gulped. The new girl had...curly hair too...  
No. I snickered. That girl couldn't be Hayane! Yeah, sure. Like, in another planet maybe. Hayane was an annoying little worm. The new girl...was something else...something very far from a worm..  
I never really liked that Hayane in the first place. I mean, those eyes! They were just so, I don't know, so big and...big. Shit. I hated that thing about her. I even sacrificed my cookies n' cream ice cream just to get her. Down her back...ha...score!  
That was another point...the new girl didn't have BIG eyes. They were normal, just like everybody else's.  
_And if that were Hayane..._I frowned, realizing something. She might want...to get back at me...  
But she doesn't. Another realization struck me._If she did want, she wouldn't have responded to your flirting so readily._  
Unless of course, this was some scheme to ' break my heart' or something...  
I burst out laughing, much to the surprise of my classmates. Yeah right. Like that worm would even have the brains to think of that.  
Pushing those thoughts aside, I focused on the upcoming exam...wait.  
Upcoming exam?  
I DIDN'T STUDY.  
As if I even really bothered to. Heh.  
But just in case, I brought out my books and started flipping through the pages. Just in case.  
I mean, it wouldn't look that good if the new girl finds me at the very bottom of the results list, right?  
  
  
**Hayane**   
  
I ignored the near rude stares people were giving me. What, you've never seen a human being in your whole life before?  
The test wasn't as easy as I thought it would be...easy? The test was downright hard! I didn't even learn that material yet while I was in Hong Kong! Good thing I brushed up on my advanced algebra studies.  
It looked like I was going to have a hard time in Japan, academic-wise, mental-wise, everything-wise. Except for athletic-wise, maybe...I heard that they were in dire need of members for the track team.  
I had also checked out the basketball team...and to my disappointment, it was an all-guys team. Well, at least that's what it looked like. But even if I wanted to join, I couldn't...Hisashi was on their team, and there was no way I could avoid saying my name in front of everyone else there with him not knowing. So, goodbye basketball in Japan.  
Oh well. Junior high basketball was way different from High school basketball. Cheer up, Hayane.  
I didn't think they even had streetball here. I sighed. What's a girl to do in Japan?  
Anyway. I paused at the stairwell. What was my classroom again?  
Oh yeah...2-5. Now, if only I could find it...  
Willing for myself not to get lost, I took a deep breath and tried to act like I knew the place. I did not want to be lost again. The people around here were weird when they knew you were lost.  
Especially that guy. Mitsui Hisashi. Or the guy who called himself Mitsui Hisashi.  
He was cute. Okay, so I admit that. So maybe my mom was right, Hisashi was 'handsome'. And he was tall...and a flirt...  
Whew, he didn't change much in the past nine years. His stupid charm is still there. Now I see why my family members liked him so much.  
Not that I liked him or anything. It was just that...nothing. My mom was correct, that was all.  
_Wonder how he plays his basketball..._ I hadn't heard too much from my mom about his basketball skills-the exact thing I wanted to hear about. All I had heard from her was that 'Hisashi's so good...' and all those stuff people who don't know basketball like to gush about.  
Maybe I could challenge him to a game someday... Yeah sure. ' Hi, I'm the girl who slammed the door in your face awhile ago, and I'm so sorry, but to hell with that! Let's play some basketball! And no, I'm not telling you my name.' Yeah, like that would really work. I know ( believe me, I know) how persistent Hisashi could be.  
Oh well. Maybe I could ask around on who were the other good basketball players around here. I could challenge them instead. Yup, that sounded good to me too.  
When I knew this place better, that was. I sighed and looked to my right.  
Thank God! There it was...2-5! How could I have missed it anyway? It was right beside me...  
If I didn't feel like a total idiot awhile ago, I sure as hell did now. Trying to look like I had known where I was going all along, I stepped into my new classroom.  
More stares greeted me. Not all were too rude, though. Some just looked curious. Oh well, rude enough. I don't really like being stared at. They made me feel like I was some item to be put on display.  
_Let's see..._I frowned. All the desks seemed to be filled, except for one at the very back. I made my way over there, and hurriedly dropped my bag in the seat. The second I did that though, someone approached me, and tapped me on the shoulder. " Excuse me?"  
The voice belonged to one of a guy's. I scowled internally._Here we go again._ When was all this going to end? Was I forever doomed to being asked stupid questions by guys in Japan?  
I turned around impatiently-to face a guy only around four or three centimeters taller than me, to my surprise. All the guys I had seen this day were tall...this one was, erhm, well...  
I recovered quickly enough, though. " What?" I snapped. " I'm not lost!" Okay, so maybe I didn't really mean to say that.  
The student who had tapped me on the back looked...well, I thought he looked quite taken by surprise. He took a step backwards. " G-gomen..." he stammered out.  
I noticed immediately that he had a stud in his left ear. Cool. So people in Japan had style, after all.  
" No, that's all right," I said, this time with more kindness. " I shouldn't have snapped at you like that..." I trailed off. My patience was being worn thin today. First by meeting Hisashi, then getting lost again...this was by far the worst day I had ever been through in my life. I sighed. Anyway.  
The guy just grinned sheepishly at me. " No, that's okay." He pointed to my bag-or rather, to the seat beneath my bag. " I just wanted to say that, that's my seat you're sitting in."  
I felt my face turn red. " Oh."  
Inside though, I was already pounding my head on a wall._Honestly!!_ And I was the one who had gotten mad at him first..._you should be ashamed of yourself, Hayane!_ I mentally chided myself.  
I took hold of my bag, pulling it out of his desk. " Sorry," I squeaked out. " I didn't know that this was your desk--" Okay, so now he thinks you're a two-faced freak. Nice way to start your first day of school.  
That guy just smiled again, though. " No, no, that's all right," he insisted. " I know you didn't mean it."  
I smiled gratefully back at him. " Thanks." I extended a hand towards him, for him to shake. " I am Kazushino Hayane."  
He clasped my hand tightly, smiling warmly all the time. " Miyagi Ryota."  
Oh. So that was his name. I nodded slowly, releasing his hand. " Miyagi-san..."  
" Ryota!!"  
Huh? I turned to look at who was calling, and so did Miyagi. Who was that?  
Running towards us was by far the prettiest girl I had seen in Shohoku. She had long, flowing curly brown hair cascading down her back in ringlets, and deep brown eyes. She also had a very warm, friendly smile. " Who's this?" She smiled briefly at me before turning back to Miyagi-san. " A new girlfriend, perhaps?" she slid a knowing glance at me, then nudged Miyagi-san in the ribs.  
I blinked. " Excuse me?" Girlfriend? Boy, people around here sure were direct!  
Miyagi was turning slightly red. " Don't mind her, Kazushino-san," he managed to sputter out. "By the way, this is Aya-chan--I mean, Ayako." He motioned towards the girl with curly hair standing beside him.  
" She's a new student," he explained to the girl named Ayako. " Oh!" Ayako raised her eyebrows knowingly. " Really? Where are you from?" she asked me curiously. " We don't usually get new students in the middle of the term."  
I smiled faintly. " I came from Hong Kong," I explained. " My father had to be moved because of his business...the whole family had to be dragged along. I'm a native of Japan, though," I added quickly. Which should explain why I still spoke fluent Japanese.  
Ayako smiled brightly. " Good! Then you'll adjust well around here. Where were you born?"  
" Right here. In Kanagawa." The grin on my face faltered by a bit. " We lived around here until I was seven, that was when we moved." That was also the time when I knew Hisashi...my grin faded away completely. Dammit.  
" Aya-chan," Miyagi interrupted. He was still slightly red. I kind of suspected something between the two of them. I mean, Aya-chan? " She's going to be our classmate."  
Ayako's eyes twinkled as she glanced at me, then at Miyagi again. " Great!" she grinned. " We're going to have a lot of fun this term." I was hoping that meant that she wanted to be friends with me.  
Okay, so maybe things weren't going that bad. Stuff just...got off at the wrong foot....  
The bell rang, causing the other students to start pouring in for class. Ayako noticed me just standing there, not doing anything. " Hey!"  
She grabbed my arm and dragged me to an empty desk. " No one stays here. You can sit behind me." she gave me another warm smile.  
I couldn't help but smile back. " Thanks." I settled down in my seat, hanging my bag behind my chair.  
" Oh!" She slapped her forehead, as if she had forgotten something.  
" Ryota!" she called across the class, amidst the chattering noise that our other classmates made. " Forgot to tell you, there's basketball practice later!!"  
I froze, pen in one hand._Basketball?_  
_What??_  
" Of course I know that!" Miyagi hollered back. " I'm the captain, remember?"  
_Captain._  
Ayako shrugged, and sat back in her chair. " Just checking," she added cheerfully. " You know how Mitsui-sempai tends to worry a lot...he keeps on telling me to remind you."  
I sunk low into my chair._Mitsui-sempai??_ Suddenly, this day didn't seem so well after all. How was it possible that everyone I met knew Hisashi??  
Miyagi laughed. " Tell that old man to stop worrying like that. His white hairs will show."  
" Very funny, Ryota..."  
Captain. Basketball. I could feel my face turning pale. Miyagi was captain of the Shohoku basketball team...naturally he'd know Hisashi...  
I rested my forehead on the smooth surface of the table and sighed.  
Surviving Japan was going to be a lot harder than I thought.  
" Hey," Ayako tapped on my desk. " Are you all right?" she eyed me worriedly. " You don't look too good."  
" I'm fine," I murmured under my breath. " Just fine..."  
  
  
AN: Sorry for the long update!! ^^; oh, and Kurapika-lover, sorry if I wasn't able to send you the chapters ^^; I'll send it to do_ahou, ok? 


	3. Are you challenging me?

AN: Oops O_o first of all, I am so, *so* sorry for the really really long delay before I updated this story *cringes* aside from being extremely lazy, I'd constantly forget that I had around one...two...three...a hundred? unfinished stories. I'll finish them though, I promise. *grin* sorry again!!! ( though I think all the people who used to review this story are long dead and gone...) Anyway, on with the story. R&R!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SD, just borrowing their characters. Oh, and in case you're wondering, they belong to Takehiko Inoue ( lucky guy...sniff...what a tensai...)  
  
**~Reverse Gears~**  
A Mitsui fanfic   
  
**Mitsui**   
  
I watched satisfactorily as I sunk another basket. Heh.  
" And he scores another three-pointer," I said out loud, watching the ball fall to the floor, bouncing once...twice...  
" Mitsui does it again!! The crowd goes wild!!"  
I made a fist in the air triumphantly. Yup, this was the life.  
Worshipped by fans-imaginary fans, but fans nevertheless.  
" Boo!!!"  
I turned towards the door, scowling. Obviously that wasn't from a fan of mine.  
" Just who the hell--" then I caught myself in time.  
It was that girl.  
The girl I had seen earlier. She who wouldn't tell me her name!!  
Her...brown hair, grey eyes. Herherherherher  
My heart felt like it was going to tear out of my chest anytime.  
I swallowed the scathing words I was about to throw at her. I was sure she didn't mean it. I mean, with a guy who looked like me, who'd have the heart to do something like that?  
I walked over to her coolly, suavely, just like a real man would. Well, of course I did. Only I could pull off something as cool-looking as that. Definitely not Akagi, definitely not Miyagi. More so Hanamichi. Me. ME.  
" Hey," I said in my most casual tone.  
The girl just blinked up at me. Then she smiled. " Hey."  
She looked down all of a sudden. I think she was a bit embarrassed. " I didn't mean to boo you like that earlier...erhm...thought you were...uh, someone else."  
Ha. I knew it.  
I smiled my most charming smile. This got everyone, including the teachers. Surely it would work on her too. " I know."  
Then I decided it was time to...get more serious. I inched closer to her, and ran a hand through my hair, maintaining eye contact with her all the time. I was still grinning suavely, of course.  
" Trust me, I _know_." Ha. She ought to be screaming her heart out by now.  
She frowned. " You did?"  
Oops.  
"N-no," I stammered out. " I didn't."  
Well. That was smart.  
I stepped away from her once more. Way to go, Hisashi. Geez.  
She blinked once more at me. I think I confused her by a bit. " Oh." I sighed inwardly. Obviously she wasn't going to fall for my manly charms...looked like I had to do things the hard way. " So, what brings you here, my fair lady?" I picked up the basketball and spun it on the tip of my index finger. " What would a dainty girl like you want to have anything to do with basketball?"  
Her eyes flashed for a moment. " Dainty??"  
Oops again. Wrong word, I guess.  
But that was only for a second. After a while, she seemed to be normal again. " Um, no, I mean, uh, well..." she took a deep breath, then she went on. " I, um, was just looking around the school. You know, checking it out." She shrugged. " Y'know."  
I nodded, a smile slowly creeping across my face. " I see." I couldn't help but act smug. " And we just happened to bump into each other again?"  
She shrugged once more. " Accidents happen."  
_Yeah, they do, apparently._ And this was one accident I sure didn't want to miss out on.   
  
  
**Hayane**   
  
DAINTY??  
What kind of a word was _that?_  
So this was the kind of thing they taught the students here at Shohoku.  
I tried my best to smile after he said that.  
I remembered saying something about how I was just poking about the school, trying to find my way about, stuff like that. Which was true, actually...I had been looking around, for the gym in particular, to see if I could shoot some hoops before my next class.  
And I just had to bump into Mr. I'm-so-good-looking-and-I-sure-as-hell-know-it here.  
Wow, this day sure kept getting better and better.  
And of course, I couldn't just sneak away. Of course I couldn't, my mouth had to take over.  
Before I knew it, Hisashi had come up to me and spoken to me. Much as I wanted to run away, I resisted the impulse and tried my best to be err, friendly. Hisashi was being 'friendly' too...too friendly, in my opinion. So friendly, I had the notion that he was already making a pass at me. Down boy, down.  
Hisashi grinned at me smugly. I wondered what he was thinking in that pea-sized brain of his.  
" So, Ms. Accident. Do you know how to play basketball?"  
Okay, so maybe he knew something other than flirting. Basketball.  
Oh well, good enough.  
I cleared my throat. " Actually, yeah, I do know...a bit." No use showing off in front of him for now.  
" Oh really?" Hisashi looked impressed. " Impress me then." He threw his ball over to me. " Show me what you can do."  
I raised an eyebrow. " Are you challenging me?"  
His face took on an expression of mock surprise. " Me? Oh, no." He smiled. " Besides, you're a girl."  
_Besides, you're a girl..._  
A _girl..._  
I clenched my fists. And he said that like it was nothing...  
_Cool down, Hayane!!_  
Hisashi sure hadn't changed a bit. Still as prideful and arrogant as ever.  
I'd fix that.  
" No, I'd love to play with you." I tried my best not to let the smile get off my face. " One-on-one." I threw the ball back at him. " Your ball."  
Now Hisashi's face took on a look of genuine surprise. " What??" he didn't even catch the ball, it just bounced off his chest. It bounced on the floor before stopping at my feet.  
I just smiled sweetly. " I said, your ball."  
Damn, I sure was enjoying myself.  
Hisashi's brow furrowed. " No, I mean-you want to play? With _me?_" he gestured to himself, as if trying to make sure.  
Well, of course I meant him. How many other Hisashi Mitsuis were there in Shohoku??  
" Yes, you." I took hold of the ball and bounced it on the wooden floor lightly, smiling all the while. " Just a short game..."  
Hisashi stared at me for one more dumbfounded moment before he began to laugh.  
He laughed, laughed like anything, laughed for all he cared. His laughter rebounded off the walls of the gym, and out into the hallway where people stopped walking and stared, puzzled by his outburst.  
My smile disappeared. I stopped dribbling the ball.  
I didn't know what his laughter meant, but I sure as hell didn't like it.  
Finally, Hisashi was able to recollect himself. He looked at me levelly, almost in a composed manner. There was still laughter left in his eyes, though.  
" Fine," he said, looking at me coolly. " I'll play with you."  
  
  
  
AN: if you want to know why Mitsui laughed like that, you'll have to wait for the next chapter ^^; which isn't that long before I post it ( hopefully...)  
Sorry for writing like this, I'm a bit...rusty for not writing for so long ^^; but I promise the next chapter will be better ^^;  
And sorry if this chapter was soooo short ^^; I had to make it short!!! Thanks to all the people who reviewed the second chapter :P you helped boost my self-esteem by just a fraction :P  
That's it. R&R !  



	4. The challenge, part I

AN: hey!!! =) surprised I was able to update so soon?? (don't worry, I'm surprised too :P) anyway, here it is, chapter 4. Thanks to **Mizuyuki Yuu** and **kei12** for helping me with my html...working with MSWord is bloody, messy work...check out their stories, btw. They're really cool :P   
  
  
**Mitsui**   
  
She said she wanted to play with me.  
_She_ said she wanted to play with _me_.  
Needless to say, I laughed my head off. Play basketball?? her??  
Well, okay. If she really wanted to...  
" Fine," I had said after I regained most of myself. " I'll play with you."  
There was more to this girl than what met the eye, was there? Well, she had guts, that was for sure. And she wasn't afraid of anything.  
Heh. My type._You're in for the kill, Hisashi..._  
" So," I said smoothly, taking hold of the ball. " Your ball, then?" Rule number one: Always be a gentleman. To the girl of your dreams, that is.  
She just looked back at me like I had suggested we eat dirt after class. " No,_your_ ball, I already told you awhile ago..."  
I studied her for a moment. She actually sounded like she was serious.  
She wasn't serious, was she?  
I cracked up. Yeah right.  
I decided to play along for a while. " Fine, then." I stood by the free throw line. " This is how we decide. We stand behind this _line_ here..." I pointed to the free throw line..." And we shoot. Whoever's shot gets in..."  
" Gets the ball first. How many free throw shots?" she asked me briskly, already behind the line.  
I raised my eyebrows. " You know what they're called."  
" Of course I do."  
" Ah." There really _was_ more to this girl then what met the eye...interesting...  
Our eyes met as I tossed her the ball. She glanced at me one more time, shrugged, bent her knees, and shot the ball.  
I didn't even bother to look towards the net. No doubt it wouldn't--  
_swoosh._  
The ball shot cleanly through the net. I didn't see it, but I sure as hell heard it.  
I turned around, not really believing my eyes. " It went in?"  
She raised her eyebrows. " Yup. Your turn." She casually tossed me the ball.  
I blinked. It went in-?  
So she _did_ know how to play...I should have known. That flawless form, casual flick of the wrist...  
Or maybe it was just beginner's luck. I shook my head. _Plain luck,_ I decided. _ yup, just luck._ My turn to shoot. I took my place behind the line, and grinned at her. Now to show her the true power of Mitsui Hisashi. " Dare me to do it with my eyes closed?"  
She shrugged. " Go ahead." She actually sounded...bored.  
That would change, though. I grinned confidently and shut my eyes tight. I raised my arms in the standard shooting position, bent my knees, released the ball gently. I opened my eyes, and watched as it formed a smooth arc towards the net...and gently sank in.  
Hah. I turned to the girl, who was smirking beside me. " Well?"  
" Not bad," she said. Ha, I knew she was impressed. Of course she was, who wouldn't get impressed by my--  
" But not good enough," she added. She pointed to the free throw line and shook her head. " You were standing outside it."  
I _was_? I felt my grin melt away. " I was?"  
I caught a hold of myself. " I mean, yeah, I _was_, of course I was, did it on purpose so you could have the ball, y'know, ladies first and all that--" I was distinctly aware of myself blabbering away. " So, let's get this game on the road." I tried my best to sound and look confident as ever, but inside, I was deflating. _Way to go, Hisashi, blow it, why don't you?_ I had stepped outside the line...idiot...  
She eyed me. " I'm flattered by your chivalrous ways, but I'd rather it be your ball first." her lines were dripping with sarcasm. Okay, so maybe she had seen through my act. Oh well, can't have everything.  
I raised my eyebrows. " Fine, its my ball then." she visibly relaxed. " On a condition."  
She glanced at me warily this time, her grey eyes gleaming. " What?"  
I smiled smugly. _You're smart, Hisashi, damn smart._ " That if I win, you go out with me, and you tell me your name."  
She rolled her eyes. " That's two conditions."  
" It's a buy one take two bargain. Take it or leave it."  
" I'd rather leave it," she said dryly.  
This was not how I wanted things to work out. " C'mon," I said. " You scared you might lose, that's why you won't agree?" I felt a grin spread on my face. I was taunting her, and I was enjoying it. " Or you _know_ you'll lose, that's why you don't want to agree?"  
That worked. Her face hardened. " Am not!"  
" Prove it," I taunted her. " Say yes to the deal."  
She scowled at me. " Yes to the deal."  
Ha. I've always like a girl with a sense of humor.  
" Good," I said confidently. " Let's start it, then."  
Boy, I sure was going to have a hell of a time.   
  
  
**Hayane**   
  
Me??? Go out with _him_???  
God, this day was getting worse by the minute.  
Plus, I had to tell him my name...  
Finally, he'd know that it really was I, Kazushino Hayane, whom he had been hitting on all this time...  
Not really a very interesting prospect. I nearly fell over when I heard his deal.  
Even worse, I had _agreed_ to it. Me and my stupid ego.  
_Now_ I knew I couldn't lose.  
" Just until five shots," I told Hisashi. " First one to score five baskets wins."  
He scoffed. " Why so short?" he asked me arrogantly.  
I rolled my eyes. It was hard trying to hold up my sweet act around him. " Because lunch break is nearly over, and I don't think our senseis are going to like it if we're _both_ late." Especially me...I _was_ a new student, after all.  
Hisashi nodded. " Fine then." He eyed me once more and smirked. " The deal holds, ok?"  
Whatever. " Ok," I answered. " C'mon, let's start!"  
Hisashi smirked once more and swaggered to the three point line. I couldn't help but roll my eyes and gag at his walk. What a big-headed buffoon.  
And to think I had found him handsome the first time I saw him....  
He dribbled the ball slowly at first, then with steadily increasing rhythm, faster and faster. I watched him warily. I didn't know how he played, so I didn't really know what to expect...  
" Beautiful," Hisashi said softly.  
_What the hell-?_  
" What?" I asked him puzzledly, letting my guard down.  
Hisashi's eyes flashed, and he evaded me in one swift movement. I just turned and watched, dumbstruck, as he laid the ball up smoothly into the net.  
I began to complain. " Hey! You distracted me!" _Asshole._  
Hisashi smirked at me again. " What? I didn't distract you."  
What an asshole. I swear I wanted to kill him then and there.  
" Yes, you did!" I managed to sputter out. " You _spoke_ to me."  
Hisashi grinned. " Oh, that?" he gave me a knowing look. " What makes you think I was talking about you?"  
I didn't know what to say at that. " I-"  
" I was _talking_ to myself," Hisashi interrupted me. " I was complimenting my beautiful form and strategy." He grinned at me. " You thought I was talking to you, didn't you?"  
What the hell was he thinking?!?  
My eyes narrowed. " I can't believe you! You dirty--"  
Hisashi stepped up to me. " Dirty what?" he said softly.  
There were a million dirty words I could think of to call him. _idiotic moron, conceited jerk, donkey, duck-feet..._  
a thousand more possibilities flooded into my mind, but I paid no attention to them.  
_Why the hell is he standing so close?_  
I looked up into his eyes. They were a beautiful shade of cobalt blue.  
_beautiful..._  
how come I had never noticed that before?  
I nearly forgot that this was Mitsui Hisashi I was talking about, the Mitsui Hisashi who got ice cream down my back, the Mitsui Hisashi who made me his slave, the Mitsui Hisashi who...  
Ah, put a lid on it, Hayane. You're dreaming again.  
Besides, I didn't even like Hisashi. So what the hell was I thinking?  
I snapped out of my reverie and stared right back into Hisashi's face. " Nothing," I said softly. " Let's get on with the game."  
  
  
  
AN: ooh....*wink* heheh...I'll put the continuation of the game in the next chapter. Sorry, I'm chopping them all apart, don't like writing everything in one go. Let's just wait and see then... Are the chapters getting shorter? O_o R&R please!! be nice and review... 


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